Size and shape of soft-tissue facial profile: Effects of age, gender, and skeletal class

Objective: A method for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the facial soft-tissue profile has been developed, and applied to analyze the pretreatment lateral head films of 240 orthodontic patients aged 8 to 14 years. Methods: Patients were subdivided for sex, age, and skeletal class. To standardize for different facial sizes, soft-tissue profiles from nasion to pogonion were traced in polar coordinates without modifications of facial shape, and standardized for an equal skeletal vertical dimension. Results: The method allowed a simple and rapid quantitative evaluation of soft-tissue profiles during facial growth, An approximate evaluation of the soft-tissue thickness at nose, lips, and chin was also possible, No particular mathematical knowledge was required at any step of the analysis. Conclusions: Facial soft-tissue size and shape were influenced by age and sex, and to a minor extent by skeletal class.